Where to start..?

[MrMonster]

I think I should start off by introducing myself.

My name is Danny, i'm 17 years old and i'm from Luton in Bedfordshire. I've had a rather frustrating time as of late as i've had a keen interest in bushcraft but i've never known where to start as the courses are way to overpriced imo as well as the fact that a young man like myself cannot carry a knife in this town without being assumed a mass murderer. That's when I come across this site, I have been reading through a lot of posts while I have been waiting for my profile to be validated and I have noticed alot of you seem very knowledgable and experienced.

So basically, my question to you all would be, where can I start to learn about bushcraft? Are there any places near myself, in or around bedfordshire, that I can learn? Such as open woodlands that endorse Camp Fires etc?

I hope I haven't set a horrible first impression amongst the members here and I really wish that I can be helped and in time pass what I have learnt down to others so they can enjoy this hobby just as much as everyone else.

Thanks for reading and i'm looking forward to hearing from you all.

 

[Nagual]

Welcome Danny to the virtual campfire! Hopefully someone from near you will be able to point you in the right direction for camping etc. That said there is a lot you can do in your own garden if you have access to one of course, even in your own home. From whittling wood, doing leather work, making hobo stoves. learning how to make and use firebows etc.

Once again welcome, I know you'll gain a lot from here, I have!


Cheers,

 

[Mesquite]

Well you've made the first step to learning about bushcraft by becoming a member here so welcome aboard Danny

I'm not that far from you but I don't know of anywhere that endorse open fires but don't fixate on fires. They're an essential but there's lots of other things you can do. Get down your local woods and try to start identifying the trees, see what tracks you can find, what you might be able to forage. Same as knives, I only carry a swiss army knife with me and save my main knives for when I'm in the woods.

You can also go to meets, there's the Midlands meet in just over 2 weeks time which is a good place to learn some skills.

I hope that helps you a bit

 

[Tengu]

Ive just spent the evening whittling while at my friends house.

(they invite me over, and spend half the evening on the phone, so Im left to my own amusements. This kind of socialising is fine by me.)

Its a shame you have been given the impression this is an expensive hobby. Theres lots of things you can do that are free or cheap.

I get most of my kit from car boots

 

[MrMonster]

Well you've made the first step to learning about bushcraft by becoming a member here so welcome aboard Danny

I'm not that far from you but I don't know of anywhere that endorse open fires but don't fixate on fires. They're an essential but there's lots of other things you can do. Get down your local woods and try to start identifying the trees, see what tracks you can find, what you might be able to forage. Same as knives, I only carry a swiss army knife with me and save my main knives for when I'm in the woods.

You can also go to meets, there's the Midlands meet in just over 2 weeks time which is a good place to learn some skills.

I hope that helps you a bit

Unfortunately I don't drive yet (failed my test the other day, damn cyclists! haha) so I won't be able to attend that just yet but I will definitely look into future meetings when I have available transport. I do at the moment only have a Flint + steel firelighting kit and a Victorinox Hunter SAK, that's the only equipment I have besides a Ray Mears book! Haha. I do have a woodland area about 100 yards from me, it's about a mile in length and 200-300m in depth, so it's a good place to start doing the things you mentioned and that i'll definitely look into, thanks!

Welcome Danny to the virtual campfire! Hopefully someone from near you will be able to point you in the right direction for camping etc. That said there is a lot you can do in your own garden if you have access to one of course, even in your own home. From whittling wood, doing leather work, making hobo stoves. learning how to make and use firebows etc.

Once again welcome, I know you'll gain a lot from here, I have!


Cheers,

Thank you for the warm greeting. I would do stuff in my own garden except I have a real habit of being easily distracted by the modern day technology! Really irritating, which is one reason why I love being in the woods I suppose. I was looking into how to craft spoons and forks from wood, would that be a good start that I can possibly do in my garden?

 

[MrMonster]

Ive just spent the evening whittling while at my friends house.

(they invite me over, and spend half the evening on the phone, so Im left to my own amusements. This kind of socialising is fine by me.)

Its a shame you have been given the impression this is an expensive hobby. Theres lots of things you can do that are free or cheap.

I get most of my kit from car boots

I didn't mean the bushcraft as a whole was expensive, I managed to pick up (what I believe) a good little Victorinox Hunter SAK for just £20, so it's not that bad at the moment. I was mainly aiming the expenses at 2 day courses for £300. I have been ebaying a lot of equipment, except at this current moment in time I have NO idea what I am looking for, so once I learn a little more, i'll start looking into a bit more kit

 

[Toddy]

Hello Danny and welcome to BcUK

You're young, that just means you've got lots more learning time ahead of you

Quite a lot of teenagers involved one way and another. Good advice from folks on this thread too.

Join the conversations and when you get the chance get along to a meet up and enjoy the company. It's amazing how much information that can be picked up just talking with people.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[MrMonster]

Hello Danny and welcome to BcUK

You're young, that just means you've got lots more learning time ahead of you

Quite a lot of teenagers involved one way and another. Good advice from folks on this thread too.

Join the conversations and when you get the chance get along to a meet up and enjoy the company. It's amazing how much information that can be picked up just talking with people.

cheers,
Toddy

Thanks Tod! The meetings do seem quite tempting but until I have my own transport they're just out of reach at the moment. I'm quite shy too! I did read a few threads on teenagers starting bushcraft in and around these forums, so I can't be alone! Lol.

 

[Tengu]

I dont do the stuff on the courses.

I have a poncho or tarp for a shelter and I light a fire with a lighter. (but my firesteel is great for the gas stove.)

(mostly I stay in a tent. I dont hold with this Naarvi notion of hammocks.)

I have never seen Mr Mears on telly, and find his books rather pedestrian.

Korhanski, Kephart and Nessmuk are my three fave authors.

 

[Miyagi]

Hi Danny, welcome to the site mate.

It's a great resource as you've no doubt discovered. Don't worry about only being 17 and a newcomer to "bushcraft".

I'm a newcomer too, and I'll be 43 this year, but the help, assistance and encouragement you'll get from the folk on here is worth it's weight in gold.

They're a great bunch on here, I've met a few locally where I live, and it's been a great laugh.

Remember no one on here knows it all, but they'll share what they do know. Don't feel daft in asking a question if you can't find an answer using the search button.

All the best

Liam

 

[maddave]

You'll learn an awful lot on here Danny just by surfing through the posts and looking at stuff that catches your eye. A couple of members on here Justin Telford and Ashley Cawley have their own site called Natural Bushcraft http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/
To describe it I'd say it's a kind of "E-Learning" bushcraft course. They have a fair few videos and stuff with really useful info.

I'm sure many people will agree with me when I say "Don't spend heaps of cash on your bushcraft gear". We do have people on the forum with all the "Gucci Kit" but bushcraft is about improvisation and adaptation. If you read Ray Mears book for example, in the first few pages he tells how he started his bushcrafting... It was because he was skint!! There are a few threads about Bushcraft on a Budget, plus things like Waylands legendary hobo stove thread (and his bushcraft website http://www.ravenlore.co.uk/ that has some wicked hints and projects). Most of all enjoy the site, make new friends and don't be afraid to ask questions...

Have Fun.

 

[MrMonster]

I dont do the stuff on the courses.

I have a poncho or tarp for a shelter and I light a fire with a lighter. (but my firesteel is great for the gas stove.)

(mostly I stay in a tent. I dont hold with this Naarvi notion of hammocks.)

I have never seen Mr Mears on telly, and find his books rather pedestrian.

Korhanski, Kephart and Nessmuk are my three fave authors.

That would most likely be my form of Bushcraft for the time being until I can get the experience of being more natural with building shelters with nothing but a knife (my aim anyway!) I'll look into those authors, I did get a Ray Mears book that I was reading a moment ago and I agree, it's about nothing more than his travels, teaches me nothing :s

Hi Danny, welcome to the site mate.

It's a great resource as you've no doubt discovered. Don't worry about only being 17 and a newcomer to "bushcraft".

I'm a newcomer too, and I'll be 43 this year, but the help, assistance and encouragement you'll get from the folk on here is worth it's weight in gold.

They're a great bunch on here, I've met a few locally where I live, and it's been a great laugh.

Remember no one on here knows it all, but they'll share what they do know. Don't feel daft in asking a question if you can't find an answer using the search button.

All the best

Liam

Thanks Liam. It's good to see that Bushcraft can be learnt at any age! So far i've had a warm welcome and it seems like a great environment to be in. Eventually i'll be looking to do a similar thing to yourself that is meet up with the locals who can teach me a thing or two and pass it down and encourage the natural lifestyle a little more.

 

[MrMonster]

You'll learn an awful lot on here Danny just by surfing through the posts and looking at stuff that catches your eye. A couple of members on here Justin Telford and Ashley Cawley have their own site called Natural Bushcraft http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/
To describe it I'd say it's a kind of "E-Learning" bushcraft course. They have a fair few videos and stuff with really useful info.

I'm sure many people will agree with me when I say "Don't spend heaps of cash on your bushcraft gear". We do have people on the forum with all the "Gucci Kit" but bushcraft is about improvisation and adaptation. If you read Ray Mears book for example, in the first few pages he tells how he started his bushcrafting... It was because he was skint!! There are a few threads about Bushcraft on a Budget, plus things like Waylands legendary hobo stove thread (and his bushcraft website http://www.ravenlore.co.uk/ that has some wicked hints and projects). Most of all enjoy the site, make new friends and don't be afraid to ask questions...

Have Fun.

Thanks Dave, I have looked on that Natural Bushcraft site before, the 7 second bow drill fire I saw came from there and it was pretty inspiring tbh. I might have to go and have a little look into both of those sites you mentioned, anything that helps! I'm not looking to spend a tonne of money, i'm more looking into being able to leave the house with nothing but 2-3 items and be able to spend the day or two outdoors and I think that's why bushcraft is so appealing to me. Thanks for the welcoming.

 

[rik_uk3]

Welcome Danny, enjoy yourself here. Are you at School or a student perhaps?

 

[MrMonster]

Welcome Danny, enjoy yourself here. Are you at School or a student perhaps?

Thank you Rik. I am indeed in full time education at college at the moment. That's also another thing that has been leaving me short for time, especially at this time of the year where daylight is hard to come by!

 

[Mikey P]

Danny,

Sounds like you could do with a mentor/s. There's only so much you can learn on your own and, if you can't afford a course, you really need to start spending time with someone more skilled than yourself.

You may not be able to afford a course but I would suggest that you could probably afford to attend the Bushmoot (especially if you can cadge a lift) - cheap training and good contacts.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

hay danny i am twenty three and i joined when i was your age and well i have had a ball and can i say if you can get to the moot thats in south wales in the summer which i will be going to (i go every year) it will be mint cos then you will learn so much and will have a ball

signed one of the naughty corner entertainers

drew

 

[mattburgess]

Danny,

As everyone has said there's loads you can start doing just in your own home. This forum, and its archives, has loads of projects you can start doing at home right now. I'm a working Dad with little free time at weekends for Bushcraft (my excuse anyway). However, I have been setting myself modest little project in the evening to keep myself ocupied - simple things like paracord braclets, making a cordage primitive sling, carving a wooden ring, spoons etc (also stops me from watching crap TV!). All of this can be done in your front room...or bedroom in your parents aint keen! I also live in the East end of London but that dosn't mean you can't find wood and materials for projects. I've recently picked up some nice wood dumped in a skip and also go some wood samples from a manufacturer which will be going on my new knife which I'll be making from a scavenged old file found in my dad's shed (see Greenpete vid for details). Keep looking on the site and be creative and you will get bags of ideas.

Happy Bushcrafting!

 

[drewdunnrespect]

ps to find out anymore about the Naughty Corner you wil, have to get along to the moot
cos if i tell you anymore well that would be futile

 

[MrMonster]

hay danny i am twenty three and i joined when i was your age and well i have had a ball and can i say if you can get to the moot thats in south wales in the summer which i will be going to (i go every year) it will be mint cos then you will learn so much and will have a ball

signed one of the naughty corner entertainers

drew

I'll definitely look into that, sounds like a good plan. Can't make the closest one but perhaps I could do what you do and attend one annually.

Danny,

Sounds like you could do with a mentor/s. There's only so much you can learn on your own and, if you can't afford a course, you really need to start spending time with someone more skilled than yourself.

You may not be able to afford a course but I would suggest that you could probably afford to attend the Bushmoot (especially if you can cadge a lift) - cheap training and good contacts.

I have been offered a lift but unfortunately due to college I can't attend the closest meeting.. I will look into summer definitely though.